Underneath It All
by Hope Falls
Summary: Stacy's world is slowly crumbling. She feels alone and is totally confused, trying to deal with things that nobody knows about. What happens when someone unsuspected finds the source of her pain... and will he help in time, or will it be too late?
1. Chapter 1

Underneath It All  
(1/?)  
Author:Jen  
E-mail:  
Internet address: Characters: Stacy Keibler, Chris Jericho, Trish Stratus, Nora Greenwald, Christian, Randy Orton, etc  
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or anything else having to dealwith the WWE. I am simply a fan.  
Distribution: Ask first.

The sound of the cheering crowd echoed in Stacy's ears as she made her way through the backstage area. Her long legs leading her down the hallway after the match of The Dudley Boyz vs. Test and Scott Steiner on the November 17th edition of Raw. Her character was finally starting to do the right thing, despite any consequences. She was actually starting to like her character in the WWE.

She smiled to herself as she pulled her long hair into a ponytail, removing the sweaty tresses from the back of her neck. Her almond-colored eyes fluttered closed before spinning around at the sound of her name being called. "Stace!"

Stacy smiled, seeing one of her best friends, Nora Greenwald standing at the other end of the hallway. "Hey girl!" Stacy stopped in the hallway, waiting for Nora to catch up with her. When she reached her the two women began to walk in step. "I was just about to head to the locker room."

"Me too." Nora nodded as she looked over at her. "Great job out there tonight. I could tell you were enjoying being defiant." Stacy smirked slowly at her words.

"Yeah. I most definitely enjoyed doing that to Andrew." She admitted in a whisper. "Even if it is just his character that I did it to." Nora laughed softly as the two girls entered the almost empty women's locker room. Stacy walked immediately to her bag, pulling out her street clothes and smiling over at Nora. "By the way, hun, you were awesome tonight. You make quite the heel, I must say."

"What can I say? Maybe there's a little bit of evil hidden inside." Nora laughed loudly, shaking her head. Stacy simply laughed, changing into her black tank top and jeans.

She looked down at her watch, pursing her lips together in thought. "You're coming with us to 'Millenium' tonight, right?" Nora asked Stacy after a long moment, as Trish entered the locker room, already having changed back into her street clothes.

"No. I think I'm gonna take a rain check." Stacy offered, sending her a small smile.

"Stace. You've said that for the last two weeks." Her nose wrinkled slowly, Trish frowned slightly at Stacy's remark.

"Come on, Stace! I need another dancing partner. Please?"

"I—I'm just really tired guys. I appreciate the offer, I do." Stacy slipped her hands into her pockets, looking down quietly before glancing over at the two girls. "Maybe next time." And with that, Stacy picked up the duffel bag, hanging it over her shoulder.

Nora let out a soft sigh, as Stacy said goodbye and exited the locker room.

Stacy ran a hand over the back of her neck slowly as she headed towards the exit of the arena. She chewed on her lip slowly as she continued, rounding a corner distractedly.

SMACK. Stacy instantly felt her body pressed against something hard. Her nose wrinkled in distaste as she realized that it was, in fact, someone's body. She slowly stepped back, her forehead creased. "Excuse-"

"Stace, if you wanted to touch me you could've just said so." A slow smirk spread across the lips of Randy Orton. He was so arrogant it was sickening.

An expression of distaste slowly spread across the slender woman's features. "Don't flatter yourself, Orton."

Randy grinned at her slowly. "Are you trying to tell me you don't want me? I see the way you look at me."

"Let me put it in terms that you minuscule little brain might understand." Stacy began, shooting a glare in the large man's direction. "I'd rather be skinned alive then spend time with you, let alone touch you. You disgust me... and that's exactly how I look at you: with disgust. Now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere I need to be." She muttered quietly, pushing past him to exit the arena.

"Maybe you're just a masochist. I'll see you tomorrow at the House Show." Randy grinned knowingly, he loved watching her squirm, he loved getting under her skin just to get a rouse out of her.

"Asshole." Stacy muttered, and with that, she exited the arena.

Stacy lay rigidly in the bed in the hotel suite that she was sharing with Nora. She wiped silently at her wet cheeks, laying in the dark. All she could see was the bright red letters on the clock, reading: 2:30 A.M. She listened as Nora and Jay laughed quietly on the other side of the hotel room door. She sighed to herself, pulling the covers up over her shoulders and slouching down in the bed.

Nora entered the hotel room a few minutes later, calling softly into the darkness. "Stace?"

There was no answer. Stacy stared blankly at the wall, thoughts consuming her.

"Stace?" She tried again, but still there was no answer. Nora sighed softly, pulling her nightie off of the bed where she had placed it before they left, and made her way into the bathroom to prepare for bed.

Stacy's eyes closed tightly, hugging the pillow to herself, whispering into the lingering darkness. "What is wrong with me?"


	2. Chapter 2

Underneath It All  
(2/?)  
Author:Jen  
E-mail:hopefalls2003@yahoo.com  
Internet address: unheard-melodies.net Characters: Stacy Keibley, Chris Jericho, Trish Stratus, Nora Greenwald,  
Christian, Randy Orton, etc  
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or anything else having to deal  
with the WWE. I am simply a fan.  
Distribution: Ask first.  
-------------------  
  
Stacy laughed softly, shaking her head from side to side as she looked over at Nora, walking down the hallway of the venue the following day. "I'm glad that you guys had so much fun at the club."  
  
"So, are you going to come with us tonight?" Nora asked, with a sweet smile crossing her lips.  
  
Stacy slipped her hands into her pockets, shrugging her shoulders as she chewed on her lip. "I'm thinking about it." She spoke after a long moment before Nora stopped, knocking softly on Jay's locker room door.  
  
"Come in!" He called from where he sat on the other side of the door, with Trish and Chris in tow.  
  
"Hey baby." Nora offered a soft smile, after making her way to him and placing a gentle kiss on his lips. Jay smiled up at her before she began to speak. "I was about to take Stacy over to the catering room to get something to eat. You guys hungry?"  
  
Jay nodded at the offer, slowly rising to his feet. "You comin' to grab a bite, man?" Jay inquired, glancing over at Chris.  
  
"Yeah, I could eat."  
  
"You can always eat." Trish added with a soft laugh, rising to her feet, releasing Chris' hand and walking over to the girls. "How're you doing Stace?"  
  
"I'm doing fine." Stacy offered, fabricating a smile and plastering it across her face. She pushed her hair behind her ears as though a nervous gesture. "Let's get out of here."  
  
Nora nodded, ignoring the tenseness she was sensing from Stacy, leading the group towards the catering room so that they could all eat. Stacy pursed her glossy lips together as they walked. "I'm starved." Trish let out a soft laugh, picking up a plate and immediately going to the end of the line.  
  
"I second that." Nora grinned. The guys simply nodded in agreement.  
  
"I'm not all that hungry." Stacy spoke after a moment, taking a bottled water from the ice that surrounded it.  
  
Chris' nose wrinkled slightly at her words, wrapping an arm around her slender waist from behind, whispering with a smile. "Doesn't that chicken look delicious?"  
  
"Yes. It does." Stacy laughed before turning around to look at him. "But I also ate a big breakfast this morning with Lillian." She shook her head slowly. "I'm just gonna grab a piece of fruit." She smiled at him before slowly snaking out of his arms and grabbing an apple off of the counter.  
  
Stacy joined her friends, seating herself at the table with them, slowly taking a bite out of the apple. She ran a hand over the back of her neck silently, her eyes closing for a short moment. She listened idly to the conversation her friends were having before slowly speaking up.  
  
"What time is it?" Stacy took her bottom lip between her teeth, awaiting an answer; she had to get out of there.  
  
"It's...12:45, why?"  
  
"I have to go meet with Vince and Steph. About my story line with Drew and Scott. I'll see you guys later." Stacy placed a quick kiss on Nora's cheek before rising to her feet and leaving the room. Her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned against the wall outside of the room a moment later. She was finally safe.  
  
*******************  
  
"So I heard you're comin' tonight." Stacy heard a voice from the doorway of the empty woman's locker room. A frown began to form across her lips at the sound of his voice: it was John Cena. Just another one of Randy Orton's boys.  
  
"Well, you heard wrong." Stacy spoke, quickly closing the notebook that she held in her lap, slipping it into her bag. Why must everyone intrude on any moment of privacy that she might have? "I have better things to do."  
  
"Oh really?" John felt a smirk cross his lips, raising an eyebrow at the beautiful woman. "Such as, what?"  
  
Stacy's forehead creased in frustration. "Is this really necessary?"  
  
"Yeah. I think it is. You said you have better things to do tonight, baby. So tell me, what have you got to do tonight that can't wait?"  
  
"John." Stacy spoke through gritted teeth, balling her small fists at her sides.  
  
"Just answer the question, Stace, that's all I'm wantin' out of this little get together. Then I'll leave you to your, uh, writing."  
  
Stacy sighed heavily as she ran her hands over her face slowly. "I—I have a date." She spoke unsurely. She just wanted to say something, anything to get her out of this conversation and to get him out of her locker room.  
  
"Oh yeah? With who?" John's eyebrow quirked up again in interest, studying Stacy intently. He noticed her shift, pulling at her fingers in an uncomfortable matter.  
  
"You wouldn't know him." Stacy answered quickly—too quickly. She walked over to her locker, so as to no longer deal with him, pulling her jacket on and looking over at him. "I've gotta go, John, as nice as this conversation has been."  
  
"You still didn't answer my question." John insisted as he stood in front of her, in the doorway.  
  
"I gave you an answer."  
  
"Obviously not the right one." John teased with a smile.  
  
"John."  
  
"No. You lied to me, so don't 'John' me, Stacy-girl." John paused for a moment, studying her features.  
  
Stacy sighed heavily in frustration, her eyes locking on his. "Can you please just forget this?"  
  
"Under one condition."  
  
"Anything. Just move." Stacy spoke, her arms crossed over her chest in frustration of the man in front of her.  
  
"Go out with your little crew tonight. Have fun."  
  
"Why does it matter so much to you that I go out tonight? I don't get it, John, what's in this for you?" She spoke slowly, her eyes not leaving him, studying him intently.  
  
"You'll find out soon enough. Just be there. Ride with Nora... like you used to." And with that, John was gone, a triumphant smile crossing his lips. 


	3. Chapter 3

Underneath It All  
(3/?)  
Author:Jen  
E-mail:hopefalls2003@yahoo.com  
Internet address: unheard-melodies.net Characters: Stacy Keibley, Chris Jericho, Trish Stratus, Nora Greenwald,  
Christian, Randy Orton, etc  
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or anything else having to deal  
with the WWE. I am simply a fan.  
Distribution: Ask first.  
-------------------  
  
Stacy pulled the sleeves of her jacket over her hands slowly, biting down on her lip as she sat in the car beside Nora who had picked her up to go to the club only a couple minutes prior. "I'm really glad that you decided to come with us tonight, Stace. We've really missed you."  
  
"Yeah, the guys can be really fun and all..." Trish began from the backseat as she sat back, adjusting the skirt that she wore before continuing. "But nobody can compare to you, sweetie."  
  
"Thanks guys." Stacy offered a small smile as she glanced out the window. She didn't want to be there. It wasn't that she didn't like spending time with the girls... it's just that a lot had changed lately. With her *and* with them. It seemed that so suddenly all of her friends had found love. Nora had Jay, and Trish had Chris. The only one that she had left was Lilian. But they didn't even talk all that much.  
  
She felt all alone. She couldn't burden her happy and carefree friends with her problems. It just wasn't going to happen.  
  
"Here we are." Nora smiled as she parked the car in the parking lot to the club of the girls' choice, Millennium.  
  
Stacy unbuckled her seatbelt before stepping out onto the pavement, her heels clicking with each step that she took, slinging her purse over her shoulder, walking inbetween her two female friends. Trish slipped her arm around Stacy as they walked side by side. "I really hope you have a good time tonight, Stace. We've really missed having you around." She admitted softly before they made their way inside of the club.  
  
"Wanna grab a few drinks and a table for now?" Nora offered before both ladies nodded in unison; they would sit down and talk for a few minutes, with the music booming and the bodies moving about around them... things would become much like they were a short while ago before all of the changes had taken place.  
  
*********  
  
"And I'm supposed to believe that?" Lilian inquired slowly as she raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest as she studied John Cena closely. He'd been asking her for a date for weeks now, and she'd continually let him down in a not so gentle manner. He promised that he would deliver Stacy at the club tonight...  
  
And if he did, she promised him a date later in the week; just the two of them.  
  
"Now would I lie to you, Lilian?" John sent her his trademark smile before raising the bottle to his lips and taking a long swig from it.  
  
"Do you care to take back that question?" Lilian couldn't help but laugh, her arms crossed over her chest as she sat down on an empty stool at the bar.  
  
"No, I don't. Because I know Stacy'll be here."  
  
"And how can you guarantee that?"  
  
"I have my ways." John grinned at her slowly before his eyes raised to the door and a triumphant grin crossed his looks. "Now, look what the cat dragged in..." And sure enough, Stacy had entered the club with Nora and Trish in tow.  
  
"How'd you do it?" Lilian asked, her voice soft as her eyes never left him. They'd been trying for what seemed to be months to get her to come back with them to the club. And John had done it so easily, so carelessly...  
  
So perfectly.  
  
"That's my secret, Lil, if I told you I'd have to kiss you." He smirked, placing his beer down and silently taking hold of her hand and leading her out to the dance floor.  
  
*********  
  
Stacy pursed her lips together as she looked down into her glass, watching the liquor swirl around continuously in the glass. She exhaled slowly. She was at the table alone, her friends having long ago disappeared with their boyfriends. It's not that she minded, really, but she didn't care to be at a table in the back of a club full of drunk couples that were groping one another.  
  
"I heard you were gonna show up tonight." She heard a voice break through her thoughts, the voice coming from a body that stood behind her seat. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was.  
  
"Randy, what do you want?" She asked flatly, not turning her head to look at him.  
  
"Why all the hostility?" Randy smirked as he sat down at the table she was at with a beer in each hand. "A beer for the lady?" He spoke as he slid one across the table, until it was directly in front of her.  
  
"What'd you put in this?" Stacy asked him with a short, slightly irritated laugh. She hadn't asked to come, and she definitely hadn't asked to deal with him tonight.  
  
"I didn't put anything in it, Stacy. I'm not like that, baby." He laughed softly.  
  
"Somehow I'm not convinced."  
  
"Well how can I convince you?"  
  
"You can go over there and dance with one of the numerous bimbos out there?" She offered with a sugary sweet smile, pushing the glass that she'd been fidgeting with away.  
  
"I'd rather not." Randy told her, shrugging as he studied her closely.  
  
"Then what is it that you'd like to do Randy, because I'm getting *really* aggravated *really* quickly." She sighed heavily before running her hands over her face.  
  
"I'd rather dance with you."  
  
Stacy rose to her feet silently, shaking her head as she picked up her purse and slung it over her shoulder silently. She shook her head to herself, forcing herself to not laugh. "So is that a yes?" Randy spoke after a moment, standing in front of her with an extended hand, waiting for her to slip her hand inside of his.  
  
Stacy exhaled heavily. "Take a hint, Randy. You're the last person in this club that I'd dance with. Not just now, but ever." And with that, Stacy offered him one last look with unapologetic brown eyes, and walked towards the exit of the club. She'd call Nora and Trish, let them know that she was tired.  
  
She had to get out. She was *done*. And with that, she wrapped her arms around herself and waited for her taxi to take her back to the hotel. 


	4. Chapter 4

Underneath It All  
(4/?)  
Author:Jen  
E-mail:hopefalls2003@yahoo.com  
Internet address: unheard-melodies.net Characters: Stacy Keibler, Chris Jericho, Trish Stratus, Nora Greenwald,  
Christian, Randy Orton, etc  
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or anything else having to deal  
with the WWE. I am simply a fan.  
Distribution: Ask first.  
-------------------  
  
"Like that's actually gonna work." Stacy Keibler spoke to herself, crossing her slender arms over her chest and wrinkling her nose as she studied her reflection. She sighed. When would she be able to find an outfit that actually looked decent on her?  
  
She simply shook her head, deciding that she would just stick with the short black skirt and small top that she had on. It wasn't going to get any better than this. She sat down, slowly applying her make up, pursing her lips together as she looked at herself.  
  
There was a solid rapping on the door and she frowned. Nora said she'd be stopping by before she had to appear in the ring. "Come in!" She called, sighing softly as she began to pick absentmindedly at her fingernails.  
  
She still didn't look up as the form behind her entered the room. "Stace..."  
  
Her head instantly shot up at the masculine voice. "John. What the hell are you doing in here?"  
  
"If I do believe, you're the one that told me to come in." John told her matter-of-factly, smirking slowly at her as he closed the door behind himself, sitting on a chair and watching her intently.  
  
"*Must* you look at me like that, John? I'd really appreciate it if you left."  
  
"Hmmm... I don't think that's gonna happen just yet, Stacy." John slipped his hat off of his head as he watched her closely. "You see, you broke your promise to me."  
  
"I did no such thing!" Stacy defended, her eyes widening at the accusation, rising to her feet. "I went to that club! I went just like I promised you. I think that *you're* oddly delusional."  
  
"Now, that's just not the case." John rose to his feet, walking over to her. "You told me to go and that you'd have a good time. You went... but you didn't have a good time." He told her simply. "So, you see. You still owe me."  
  
"I don't owe you shit, Cena!"  
  
"Oh, but you do." He paused. "You were even given a *perfect* chance to have a good time last night. But you decided to talk away from it."  
  
Stacy shook her head. "I'm so done with this. Done with *you*! Why do you suddenly have such a huge interest in my life and in my happiness? I don't need your help!"  
  
"I took an interest when you became unhappy, Stacy girl."  
  
"I'm not unhappy, John. I'm just extremely frustrated with people telling me how to live my life. What I should do and who I should do it with. I can make my own decisions." She ran a hand through her long blonde locks. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to head down to the ring before I'm late..." And with that, she left her locker room silently with John standing there in silence.  
  
*********  
  
"Jesus Christ..." Randy muttered bitterly, walking down the hallway to the near-empty catering world. He was so frustrated. His thoughts were instantly ripped away from him when his eyes landed on Stacy.  
  
He smiled slowly, watching her silently as she ate. He had gone unnoticed so far. He cleared the sincere smile from his face, allowing his trademark smirk to cross his handsome features. "Why, hello Stace... a bit hungry?"  
  
Her forehead creased as she looked up at him, setting the doughnut back down on the plate next to the other food that was still there. "What do you want, Randy?"  
  
"I came here to eat. Considering the fact that it is a catering room."  
  
Stacy frowned at him, at his sarcasm. She had actually begun to feel bad for how she'd treated Randy the night before. For giving him the cold shoulder when all he was trying to do was help her to have a good time. "You know, I was going to apologize to you. But now I realize they're nothing but wasted words."  
  
Stacy rose to her feet, rolling her eyes at the muscular man who had sat beside her. "Hold on, Stace." Randy sighed softly, grabbing hold of her hand. "Please, sit down."  
  
She studied Randy silently, pulling her hand out of his. Stacy then crossed her arms over her chest, watching him closely. "And why should I do that?" She asked him quietly.  
  
"Because I want you to."  
  
"That's not a very good reason, Randy." Stacy's frown deepened as she looked at him.  
  
"Because if you don't sit down, it'll be much harder for me to apologize to *you*." Randy told her after another moment. Stacy raised her eyebrow slightly at his words, and after he finally had gained her attention she sat down beside him, her eyes locking intently on his.  
  
*********  
  
"So when do I get that date, babygirl?" John Cena grinned slowly, standing beside Lilian outside of the catering room, where she had been so perfectly spying on Stacy and Randy. She didn't want to interrupt. Maybe this was a good thing for her. And maybe it would at least give her some clue as to what was going on with her friend.  
  
"When you earn a date." Lilian grinned slowly at John, who was studying her closely.  
  
"And how would I earn one of myself one of these dates?" He asked, slipping her hand into his and slowly placing a kiss. "Does that help?"  
  
"Well it certainly doesn't hurt." Lilian laughed, shaking her head slowly at him before speaking again, a soft sarcasm to her voice. "A full body massage, freshly cooked cookies, and..." She smirked slowly. "I'm actually in need of some new fashion from Victoria's Secret."  
  
John smirk had faded as quickly as hers had come. "Victoria's Secret? As in... the store?" He raised an eyebrow slightly at her.  
  
"You're very observant, Johnny." Lilian placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "Well, I've gotta get going... I have some announcing to do."  
  
And with that Lilian slipped away from him, making her way down the hallway and leaving a barely blushing John Cena behind. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"So you're really doing this then?" Randy Orton asked his best friend with a slightly raised eyebrow, his curiosity peaked. And inwardly Randy was beginning to wonder when this change in his friend had changed. And he knew one thing for sure, something had changed… he just had yet to be able to place exactly what that change was.

"I gotta do what I gotta do, man." With a slight shrug of his shoulders, the muscular man grinned back at his friend. It was going to be a long day, that much he knew. But he also knew that it would be worth it come tonight.

"What's going on?" Stacy Keibler asked, a pair of innocent brown eyes lifting to her friends as they sat in the catering room. They'd all been sitting there for about ten minutes now, and Stacy had just joined them. Ever since sitting down the blonde couldn't help but feeling as though something was going on between her friends. Something that she knew nothing about.

Nora glanced over at Trish, who in turn glanced at Chris before he offered a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Nothing's going on, Stacy. You're being paranoid, sweetheart." Chris assured her with a half-smile. They all knew that there was something going on with her, but none of them had been able to figure out just what that was.

Running her fingers through her hair, Stacy simply nodded her head. Pushing the pasta around the plate for a moment, she then shoveled a bite into her mouth continuing to study her friends' behavior in silence. What would cause them to act so much differently around her? Granted she hadn't been going out with them as often, but did that mean that their views on her had suddenly changed. Glancing up slowly from her plate she noticed John sitting across from their table. She definitely did not want to have another run in with him. Granted the day before Randy had apologized to her, but she knew that there was more to why he'd apologized. Randy was never nice to her and she was damn sure that he hadn't apologized just for the hell of it.

Sitting in silence and eating, Stacy could no longer stand the silence. It was getting at her. Trish and Nora were just sitting there with their boyfriends, silently… and when was Trish ever silent?

"Excuse me…" The blonde murmured quietly as she grabbed her nearly empty plate from the table, depositing of the plate and making her way out of the catering room. Usually everyone would be laughing and teasing one another, but today was different. Maybe it wasn't Stacy's friends that had changed, though, maybe it had been her and it had all just begun to set in. They noticed that she'd changed and they no longer knew how to act around her.

Silently she slipped into the next door on the right in the hallway, not paying too much attention to it. It was the men's locker room, but being what time it was nobody should be in there. Quickly she passed through the locker room, not paying attention to anything that she passed with one thought in mind: where was the bathroom?

Finding the bathroom she made her way inside quickly, hunched over the toilet and almost immediately expelled herself of the food that she'd just taken in. Closing her eyes then, she tried to shake the thoughts that were overwhelming her. She was ugly, useless… and she didn't know how much longer she could keep that façade up. She didn't know if she could handle smiling and acting as though she had a perfect level of confidence, when in fact it had continually diminished. And now Stacy was left with an unhealthy view of herself—yet nobody knew. It was her secret.

"Stace?" At the sound of a voice behind her, Stacy's head whipped around. Her voice was stuck in her throat and she knew that she as in a very compromising position. "Stacy…"

Her eyes remained focused on the person that was speaking and she couldn't take her eyes off of him. All that Stacy knew was that she needed to come up with an excuse, and she needed to come up with one before he assumed the wrong thing.

Standing outside of Lilian's hotel room, John Cena knocked softly on the door, waiting patiently for her to answer it. He'd actually found their entire relationship, if you could call it that, to be very amusing. It was like a game of cat and mouse. Lilian, of course was the mouse, and he was the cat that had been so relentlessly chasing her around. But one thing that John knew that sooner or later he would catch her—and the chase, well, it would have been well worth it.

"John, what a… surprise." Lilian spoke after pulling her hotel door open, raising her eyebrow slightly as she looked at the man on the other side of the doorway.

"Pleasant, I'd hope." Licking his lips subtly, he winked at Lilian before placing a soft kiss on her cheek. "Can I come in?"

"If I won't go on a date with you, John, what makes you think that I'm going to let you into my hotel room late at night?"

John chuckled at that, slowly shaking his head before he lifted his eyes to hers. Holding up a Victoria's Secret bag, he winked before speaking. "I come bearing gifts." And with that, Lilian let out a soft laugh as she opened the door to her hotel room a little bit wider allowing John inside.


	6. Chapter 6

Underneath It All

(6/?)

Author: Jen

E-mail: 

Rating: PG-13 (sensitive subject matter)

Category: WWE/Drama

Characters: Stacy Keibler, Randy Orton, John Cena, Lilian Garcia… and others.

Spoilers: None

Summary: Who found Stacy in the bathroom, and what will the results of that be?

Note: This is fiction and is in no way a reflection of Stacy in real life, or anyone else for that matter.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to themselves and the WWE, respectively. Please do NOT steal my fiction, plagiarizing is mean.

--------

Stacy's eyes were instantly on those of John Cena as she slowly wiped the remnants of her expulsion from her lips. Of all the people to find her in the position that she was in now it had to be John—the person that had been pushing her the most in the past month or so. She knew what his intentions were, to get together with Lilian and he was well on his way. So maybe he'd turn his cheek, pretend he didn't see anything. Or maybe he would believe her when she told him that it was nothing.

"John." Clearing her throat slowly she rose to her feet, averting her eyes from his so that he would have less of a chance of being able to read what was in her eyes and what had really happened there only moments before. Flushing the toilet she walked over to the sinks, immediately rinsing the foul taste from her mouth.

"What have you got to say?" He spoke simply, muscular arms crossed over his toned chest as he studied the beauty before him.

Stacy's forehead creased slightly at his words. "I haven't got anything to say, especially not to you of all people." The leggy blonde mumbled, moving to step past him before her arm was grabbed in a loose hold by none other than the Doctor of Thuganomics. "Let. Go."

"What happened?" John asked her pointedly, his voice firm though the true concern in his voice was hidden by the harsh quality that was always there.

"Nothing." With that said, Stacy pulled her arm out of his hold roughly, casting a final glance at him before she moved to walk away from him. But within moments the blonde diva was stalled by his words.

"You can walk out that door, Stacy-girl… it's all up to you. But if you walk out, I need to go find Nora and—"

"You don't need to find _anyone_, Cena! This has nothing to do with you!" Turning slowly on her heels she stalked back over to him, her honey-brown eyes a mix of anger and hurt.

"I thought we'd gone through this once before. It does have to do with me, it is my business—and it's been my business since you became unhappy." He told her, his voice calm as opposed to her emotion-filled words. She was bordering on breaking down and deep down John couldn't help but hope that she would… and that she would see that something was wrong deep inside of her. Though he wasn't the best person for her to break down in front of seeing as though they'd never been friends… he still worried about her.

As his words sunk in, a sarcastic laugh escaped her lips. "Oh, yeah. Like I'm going to believe that one. Give it a rest. Honestly, John did you actually think that I wasn't going to figure out that your only intentions in befriending me was to get to Lilian?" Scoffing slightly, Stacy attempted an exit once again. How dare he stand there as though he knew so much about her, about her life… about how he cared for her when his intentions were anything but good?

John ran a hand over the back of his neck when she was nearly halfway to the door. "Stacy, look—it's got nothin' to do with Lilian anymore. At first the only reason I gave a damn was because of Lil, because I really wanted to get with her. But this is real, alright? I'm concerned about you and I have every right to be. You were just fuckin'—"

Clenching her jaw together she closed her eyes before slowly turning around to face him. "If your concern was real, then I'm sorry that you're worried or…whatever you want to call it, John. But there's no reason to be concerned. I was sick."

"You made yourself sick, Stace. I saw you walk in here and you were—"

"_Bullshit!"_

"No, not bullshit, Stacy. The truth." John told her firmly, almost wanting to look away when the feisty blonde turned around and stormed over to him with a fire ablaze in her eyes.

"The truth is none of your business, John." Exhaling sharply her angry eyes were on his. "I must've eaten something that didn't agree with me because I got sick. Is that a good enough explanation for your cocky ass?" Before she was able to storm away or finish her very heated confrontation with John Cena, she heard a voice behind her and cringed.

"Mind if I ask what the problem is here?" Randy Orton asked from behind her, a confused expression spread across his features.

Stacy ran a hand through her long blonde tresses, turning around to face Randy. "There's no problem, alright? None. I just—I was on my way out from this wonderful encounter." And with that she quickly brushed past the toned WWE Superstar, still clenching her jaw as she tried to keep her temper at bay.

"So then I guess I should go grab Chris, Jay and the girls?"

"No!"

Randy noticed the urgent tone in her voice and looked to John with confusion. He decided to remain silent although he was more concerned than he thought he'd ever be about Stacy Keibler. This girl had always given him hell—and he'd always given her a hard time just to get some sort of a reaction to his foul behavior. Yeah, she was attractive but no more than usual. So why then, seeing her on the verge of breakdown did he feel his heart pounding hard in his chest, aching for her. Aching to know what he could to help her. Help her? Hell, he was Randy Orton—he wasn't supposed to be concerned about women, they were his playthings. That's all they'd ever been.

But Stacy? She was different.

"Then move your hand off of the door and come have a seat. We have a lot to talk about." And with that John Cena took a seat on one of the benches, motioning with his head for the other two to join him.


	7. Chapter 7

Underneath It All

(7/?)

Author: Jen

E-mail: 

Rating: PG-13 (sensitive subject matter)

Category: WWE/Drama

Characters: Stacy Keibler, Randy Orton, John Cena, Lilian Garcia… and others.

Spoilers: None

Summary: After being discovered in the bathroom, where does Stacy go from here?

Note: This is fiction and is in no way a reflection of Stacy in real life, or anyone else for that matter.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to themselves and the WWE, respectively. Please do NOT steal my fiction, plagiarizing is mean.

--------

Stacy remained in the middle of the male roster's locker room for a long moment, her mind spinning. As she stood there, eyes wandering between the two men that she'd encountered by pure chance, she ran a hand through her long locks. Both men had remained silent, allowing her a moment or two to get her thoughts and bearings together. One of the two men knew just what kind of trouble she was in—the exact kind of demons that she was trying to fend off. While the other man that had seated himself, deep blue gaze swimming with confusion, was clueless.

"Are gonna come fill me in?" The concerned voice of Randy Orton interjected into her thoughts after several minutes of silence. He wasn't quite trying to push her, but the silence had begun to get more than a bit unnerving and he didn't know how much more he could take without something being said.

"Is it really necessary that he be here?" The leggy blonde inquired after a moment, her eyes locking on Randy before they wandered back to the man that had caught her praying before the porcelain God. It seemed as though John was deep in thought for a moment, before he simply nodded his head, assuring her that Randy did in fact need to be there through all of this. "What the hell?!" Instead of sitting down with her two peers, the blonde stalked around the locker room before finally stopping in front of them, having had more than enough time to process what their illegitimate expectations of her were. "Why does it matter, why does he need to be here? And why do I need to even be arguing over this with you? _You don't even know me_! You never gave a damn, and all of a sudden you come in riding on a horse like a God damn white knight, and I'm supposed to be the damsel in distress that is just so grateful that you've come to save the day! Well damn it, I'm not grateful and I'm sure as hell _not_ a damsel in distress."

"Stacy, nobody here thinks that you're a damsel in distress. We know that you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, it's just that—"

"If you know that I'm capable of taking care of myself, Randy, let me take care of myself! God! You have got to be the most irrational men that I've met in my entire life."

"Maybe so, Stacy girl…" John spoke, finally having interrupted the verbal exchange between the two. "Maybe we are irrational, but even if I wasn't an irrational and thick-headed ass like you tend to think I am, if I'd walked in and seen what I saw today, I'd be more than just a little concerned."

Stacy threw her head back in frustration, running her nimble digits over her face as she groaned into her hands. This was getting her nowhere. "I was nauseous and this was the closest bathroom." She told them quietly, removing her hands from her face before glancing at them, the discomfort that she was feeling beginning to grow.

"I saw you walk in here, Stace. Calm as could be. You weren't sick—at least, not until you made yourself, sick. You've got a problem, girl, and—"

"Don't preach to me, Cena, not _ever_." Her cinnamon eyes flashed with anger once again, the fear that had once been there upon knowing that John had discovered her no longer there. It was replaced with anger. And with that anger she spun on her heels, making headway for the door so that she could get away from John, not to mention Randy and the scrutinizing gaze of both men. Stacy knew that the more that they looked at her, the more that they studied her body they would think she was too thin in one part, too corpulent in another.

Randy glanced between John and Stacy for a moment before rising to his feet and quickly closing in the distance that separated him from Stacy. "Stace, wait."

Clenching her jaw together tightly, the long-legged diva spun around on her heels, now up close and personal with none other than Randy Orton. "What?" She asked him, attitude and annoyance coating not only the word that had slipped past her lips, but her expression as well as she met his gaze.

"I think, uh…" Randy gulped the lump in his throat having never seen quite the level of anger that she was expressing now in the woman before him. He'd seen her irritated with him, seen her ill-tempered, among other things. But the look of vehement anger in her eyes right now was discerning to say the least. "I think maybe you should… listen to what John has to say."

"Enlighten me, Randy… why the hell would I sit back down when the only thing that is going to come from this is more anger and more judgment?"

John sighed slowly from her he sat, taking the cap on his hat and adjusting it before he slowly spoke. "We're not judgin' you, Stacy, we want to help you but you won't allow us to do that, now will you? Because letting us help, letting _anyone_ help would mean admitting to yourself that there is somethin' wrong, and that abusin' your body like this isn't normal, and it's not right."

"Shut up. Shut up… just… shut up!" The steadiness in her voice had quickly faded, and the longer that she listened to him the more that she felt like she might just break down. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm herself. She needed to compose herself because if she didn't then she was going to have to deal with breaking down in front of them. Having them discover what had truly been going on with her had been difficult, but to allow them to see her at her breaking point would be more than she could ever possibly handle.

"What's the problem here?" Hearing the familiar voice at her ear she didn't know whether to be excited, or to flinch at the mere sound. The two men before her had threatened to tell Jay, Chris, and all of the others. That was, if she didn't talk about it. But they had talked about it, but just the same she knew that it wouldn't be the end.

"Nothing." Stacy muttered quietly as she turned around and offered Jay a half-smile as he studied her with a confused expression throughout his features.

"Trish was lookin' for you, she's over in the locker room." With a nod Stacy silently slipped from the male roster's locker room, praying that would be the end of that topic for a long time to come—but knowing deep down that it wasn't.

This was only the beginning. So, plastering a jovial smile on her face the tall diva entered the locker room, deciding to try to leave all that had been said and done behind, but knowing that it wasn't just in the past—it was in the future.


	8. Chapter 8

Underneath It All

(8/?)

Author: Jen

E-mail:

Rating: PG-13 (sensitive subject matter)

Category: WWE/Drama

Characters: Stacy Keibler, Randy Orton, John Cena, Lilian Garcia, Chris Jericho, Trish Stratus, Molly Holly, and Christian.

Spoilers: None

Summary: After being discovered in the bathroom, where does Stacy go from here?

Note: This is fiction and is in no way a reflection of Stacy in real life, or anyone else for that matter.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to themselves and the WWE, respectively. Please do NOT steal my fiction, plagiarizing is mean.

--

As Stacy stepped inside of the women's locker room, she met the faces of her good friends. "There you are, Keebs." Trish spoke after a short moment, a smile crossing her lips as she set eyes on one of her best friends. "We've been looking for you all over the place. You been hiding?" She inquired, a teasing tone to her voice.

Stacy was, in all honesty still in a bit of a daze from what had just happened. Although she was now in the diva's locker room, she couldn't help but think about what had happened in the men's locker room. The confrontation that she'd just had with John, and it hadn't helped any that Randy was there. He was such an ass. Both of them were. "Stace... Stace?" Blinking her eyes for a moment, her chocolate-colored orbs found their way back to Trish's face.

"Sorry." Stacy spoke softly, a slightly sheepish, yet also guilty expression crossing her face. "I'm just a little tired..." Forcing a laugh, the leggy diva continued, "And no, I wasn't hiding." She continued with a marginal shake of her head.

"Then where were you?"

"Having another one of my _wonderful _confrontations with Randy." Stacy spoke, her voice thick with obvious irritation. "I don't know why I let him get underneath my skin."

"Maybe you like him." Nora interjected after a moment, a small grin crossing her lips.

"Uhm... eww." Stacy spoke, her nose wrinkling up at the mere thought of it. With the way that he spoke to her. With the way that she had felt about him for the last couple years, she couldn't even wrap her mind around the possibility that she could like him. It was impossible. "Are we talking about the same Randy Orton?" She asked with a look of bewilderment on her face.

"The one and only." Nora continued, pausing for effect. "I mean, think about it like this. When you were younger... like, let's say in elementary school. What did a boy do when he liked you?"

"Uhm... try to kiss you?" Stacy spoke after a momentary pause.

"No." Trish spoke as she returned to the conversation. "No, he didn't try to kiss you. He would pick on you, pull your hair. A kindergarten crush. Maybe Randy just doesn't know how to show that he likes you. And maybe you don't dislike him as much as you would like us all to think, either."

"Maybe I should have been hiding." Stacy spoke again, shaking her head at her two friends. "Because... you two, well... you're both crazy ass bitches."

--

"So, who's going tonight?" Jay inquired as he slowly laced up his boot, glancing over at Chris as he did so.

"Uhm... Trish, Nora, Lil, Me, you..." Chris listed off, his forehead creasing as he tried to think if he had listed everyone that was going.

"Is it an open invitation?" John Cena interjected, eyes meeting those of his colleagues.

Chris shrugged his shoulders marginally before speaking. "Yeah man, whoever wants to come. Feel free. The more the merrier. We'll probably head down to Duke's at midnight. It'll give everyone time to get a shower in before we head down."

"Sounds like a plan." John offered the blond man a smile, all the while thinking about the name that hadn't been mentioned.

--

"It's good to have you back, Legs." Jay spoke after a short moment, as they all stepped inside of Duke's Bar and Grill. "I was beginning to think that I smelled or something..."

"Dude, there is no think about it." Chris interrupted. "You do smell. That's why Stacy hasn't been around. But, thankfully, because I gave you that new stick of Old Spice, she's joined us once again." Laughter erupted from the group of superstars. Stacy shook her head as she looked around the country-style bar and grill. It had a rustic look to it, worn wooden floors, walls adorned with pictures of the likes of Johnny Cash, June Carter and John Wayne. Reba McIntire's "Fancy" played in the background as the hostess showed them to the back room which they're reserved for the remainder of the night.

The group seated themselves at various tables, Stacy sitting down beside Nora, laughing absentmindedly at something Jay had said. It wasn't until she'd already sat down that she glanced next to her, seeing who was sitting there. It was John-- of course he had seated himself next to her. Not just so that he was near Lilian, it was so that he could keep an eye on her. Stacy knew that. She'd already had an argument with John about tonight. She didn't know why he had to come. Hell, Stacy didn't want to come herself. But John had insisted, and since he had her dark secret dangling above her head, she didn't have much of a choice. He thought that if she spent more time with her friends that she would get better. And since it was at a bar and grill, he would be able to see what she was eating.

Their waitress stopped by their table, getting everyone's orders for drinks while reading off their specials and giving everyone a menu. Stacy opened up the menu, looking at the list of appetizers. How was she supposed to get anything healthy to eat here? It was then that she heard a voice in her ear, "How're you doing, doll?"

Stacy's nose scrunched up slowly at John's words. "Fine. Not that you even care." She answered in a quiet whisper, sipping at her margarita when the waitress set it in front of her.

"I do care, Stace, even if you don't believe that it's the truth." John told her quietly after a pause. "I'm trying to help you the best way I know how. Without revealing to everyone what is going on." Stacy took in a deep breath, finding herself fighting a string of tears that wanted to brim at her eyes, and float down her cheeks. The waitress took their orders, Stacy ordering a Turkey Burger with swiss cheese, onions, and french fries. Taking a deep breath, Stacy took a long drink from her margarita glass.

"Hey, Stace... come line dance with us." Lillian spoke from the other side of John as she rose to her feet. Trish and Nora already standing beside her, the three of them looking as though they were having the time of their lives.

"Eh... I think I'm gonna pass, girls." Stacy told them with a small smile. "My legs already ache from my match tonight." She told them softly, noting the pout that crossed Trish's full lips before the threesome made their way out to the dance floor. John glanced over at Stacy, opening his mouth to speak before she stopped him. "Don't say it, okay?" She told him in a hushed voice as she glanced across the table, Chris telling Jay a story animatedly, his hands moving wildly as he spoke. "I'm here. I never promised I was going to have fun."

John expelled a breath slowly, before he spoke in a sincere voice, the harshness that was often found in his tone not there. "I don't want you to promise, Stacy. I just want you to do it. I want you to have fun. I want you to smile sincerely at your friends, laugh with your girls and just... be you again."

Stacy forced herself to stay calm, though what she wanted to do at this moment was scream. Scream at John-- how dare he speak to her like that. Like he knew her so well, what she was like _before. _He didn't have the slightest clue. He didn't know her. The only reason he ever acted like he gave a damn was because he wanted to get into Lil's pants. How dare he. She was livid. But she remained calm as the food arrived at the table, and now her only demon wasn't the one that was sitting next to her, it was lying on the plate in front of her.

Stacy was quiet through their late night dinner, laughing occasionally at a joke that one of the guys had told. She had to admit that she did like spending time with her friends, that was something that she had known for a long time. But she didn't like the circumstances of the situation, having to eat while she sat there. Knowing that John had been keeping an eye on her throughout most of dinner. She had eaten three quarters of her burger, and most of her fries. She was starting to feel it now though, deep in her stomach.

Glancing over at John she noted that he was deep in conversation with Lilian, her hand resting flirtatiously atop his knee. Noting that he was distracted, she quietly excused herself from the table. She made her way down the dark hallway at the back of the restaurant, leading to the bathrooms. When she was about to pull the door open, she felt a strong hand grab hold of her arm, turning her to face him, his other arm going to rest beside her head, trapping her. Stacy's heart began to pound hard in her chest just at the mere closeness. "R-Randy... I didn't even know you were here." She managed, swallowing slowly to force the bile to stay in her stomach.

"Yeah, I've been here for a while." He told her in a hushed tone, his handsome face close to hers. "What are you doing?"

Stacy forced a tiny laugh, his blue orbs piercing into her darker ones. "I was trying to go to the bathroom." She spoke as normally as possible, his face still uncomfortably close to hers.

"What's goin' on you two?" Chris Jericho asked as he walked down the hallway to go to the men's bathroom. Randy moved back a little leaving more space between the two of them, dropping his arm down that rest beside her head.

"Oh, nothin' man. We were just talking." Glancing forward as Chris entered the men's bathroom he noted that Stacy was gone. She had taken the opening and disappeared. With a slow breath, he glanced around slowly before he pushed open the door, clearly labeled "Cowgirls" and stepped inside. As soon as he was inside he could not only hear the undeniable sound of wretching, but he could smell the vile smell as well. Without another moment's hesitation he slipped in the still open stall behind Stacy, crouching down behind her. He puled her hair back from her sweaty face gently, his other hand, rubbing her back gently. "It's okay, Stace, it's okay..."


End file.
